This invention was the subject matter of DDP Registration No. 159555 filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Nov. 21, 1986.
As can be seen by reference to the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,349,210; 3,524,655; 2,423,311; and, 2,851,186 the prior art is replete with myriad and diverse wheeled apparatus for transporting a variety of animate and inanimate objects such as children, livestock, groceries, etc.
While the aforementioned prior art constructions are more than adequate for handling and transporting the objects and items for which they were specifically developed, very few of these devices are designed or intended to serve as a multi-purpose transport apparatus that can handle a wide variety of objects.
Despite the fact that at least one of the acknowledged prior art devices was developed to transport fairly large livestock such as calves, there is a pronounced paucity of wheeled transport apparatus constructed specifically to transport smaller domestic four legged animals such as pets. In addition none of the aforementioned prior art devices provides a pet transport apparatus that can also be used as a pet exercising apparatus as well as being adaptable to other non-pet related purposes.
In addition, none of the prior art constructions envisions the use of a restraining means in combination with the basic exercise and transport apparatus; wherein, the restraining means provides a harness arrangement for the pet, which will serve the dual function of operatively connecting the pet to the transport apparatus in one embodiment whereby the pet may provide locomotion to the transport apparatus; or, in an alternative embodiment the harness arrangement may be used to restrain and/or transport the pet outside of the confines of the apparatus.
Obviously there has existed a long felt need in this area of technology for an improved multi-purpose wheeled transport apparatus that would address the aforementioned prior art shortcomings; and, the apparatus that forms the basis of the present invention was developed specifically to provide a solution to inherent deficiencies found in the prior art constructons.